


Waiting With Bated Breath

by prettyghostboys



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Child Abuse, Everyone Is Alive, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luke is trans because i say so, M/M, Reggie Peters Backstory (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Has a Sibling (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters is a Molina (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters-centric (Julie and The Phantoms), Rose and Ray are good parents, Started as a first meeting story, This didn't start out as a Alex/Reggie story but it went there on its own, Trans Male Character, developed into Reggies background, theyre all neurodivergent and meet in special ed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28230669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyghostboys/pseuds/prettyghostboys
Summary: Reggie is scared for his first day of fifth grade, but he meets some friends that stick around, for a while.A.K.A. A Reggie Peter's background (but it's modern times and no one is dead)The mature rating on this is essentially just because of the child abuse that is mentioned, along with a few make-out scenes.
Relationships: Alex & Carlos Molina & Julie Molina & Ray Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 104





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'll be uploading a chapter of this everyday (until Christmas!) since I have it finished and sitting in my drive folder. Most of the stuff in this story is based around my public school experiences, and some parts of it on my own limited knowledge of laws and health stuff, so it may not be totally accurate, so if any of the stuff is wrong in that sense, I'll align with fictional liberties, and my dream that the law and health stuff wasn't so unnecessarily complicated. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys, I had fun writing this! I encountered a couple writing snags here and there, but I'm definitely proud of this story.

Reginald Peters did not think he was ready for his new school. Considering it was the beginning of fifth grade, everyone already had friends  _ and  _ he’d have to restart again next year for middle school, anyway. He pulled his backpack tighter against his back, waving as his stepfather pulled away from the curb, waving to him and his sisters. 

“I’m scared, Reg.” His sister, Aurora, pressed into his side, her bright green eyes staring up at him. Today would be her first day in third grade, but he knew she had their other sister, her twin, to help her through it. Cindy, opposed to Aurora, was excited to make new friends and was quick to drag their younger sister, Ariel, with her towards other kids. Their older step brother was quick to peel away from them, being a freshman in high school and not wanting to be interacting with ‘babies.’ 

Regardless, Reginald found himself smiling down at his sister, hoping he made it look believable. 

“It’ll be fine, Rory, you’ll have Cindy with you, and I’m sure I’ll see you at lunch.” He pulled her in for a hug before pushing her towards the playground. “Come on, let’s figure out our classes.” 

The next twenty minutes of the day was spent on the crowded playground, kids all milling around to figure out which teacher they had and get themselves organized by last names. Reginald watches his twin sisters giggle at each other at their place a few lines away from him, being unable to see the youngest from his spot. He smiled to himself, looking at the two kids behind and in front of him. The kid behind him was turned around, talking to the kid behind him, but the kid in front of him stood there silently, a single backpack strap thrown haphazardly across their shoulder. He found himself tapping onto their shoulder, watching as they turned around, shaggy brown hair falling into a sharp, brown eyed gaze. 

“What?” Came the just as sharp response, and he felt himself flinch slightly. Their eyes softened slightly as they studied him. 

“Uh, hi! I’m Reginald, I’m new to this school, just wondering if you’d want a friend to talk to?” He offered, his hand extended outward. Their eyes studied him for a moment before they turned back around, and Reginald felt his stomach plummet. He casted his eyes downward and shuffled his feet, maybe this school year would suck after all. 

He was quickly drawn out of his thoughts when a hand gave a hard shove to his chest, and he looked up to see the kid in front of him, looking at him expectantly. 

“Reginald is a stupid name, I’ll call you Reggie.” They pushed his hand away awkwardly. “I’m Luke, don’t believe anyone if they call me anything else. I’m no girl.” The kid, Luke, replied gruffy, turning back and facing forward once more. 

Reggie felt himself light up, bouncing slightly. They’re called to attention and taking roll again, he pretends to not notice when the teachers call Luke by a different name, the young boy rudely correcting them. After the kids are all accounted for, they make their way inside and to their classrooms and desks. Luke and Reggie were lucky enough to be sat right next to each other and they continued on with their day. At lunch, they sat by themselves, Reggie noticing his sisters had managed to make a couple friends to sit and play with. He smiles to himself and excitedly talks about his family's move and his new step-father while Luke focuses on his food, occasionally piping up with small, snarky comments. 

The rest of classes go smoothly, since most of the time it’s just ‘getting to know you’ activities and not real assignments yet. Luke, Reggie and a couple other kids from their class are pulled out during the last period of the day, being ushered into a separate classroom, much to Reggie’s confusion. This classroom has long tables as opposed to desks, with three chairs at each of the tables. 

“Haven’t you ever had a special ed class before?” Luke mumbled to him gruffly, taking the far left chair at the back table closest to the door. Reggie sits beside him in the middle chair.

“I haven’t, what is it?” Reggie tilts his head, rolling the eraser of his pencil across his chin. 

“For ‘special’ kids.” Luke gives an overexaggerated air quote motion. “For kids who learn different. The first week here last year was spent talking about what that means, so they’ll probably do it again this year.” Reggie nods, giving a hum as he let his eyes wander around the room. 

Each table of three is filled with kids all excitedly talking back and forth, or all sitting together awkwardly, playing with stuff in their hands. Reggie turns at a motion to his right, a small blonde boy quietly pulling out the final empty chair beside him and taking a seat. After a moment he turns to Reggie and gives him a weak smile. He found himself grinning back at the boy, his hand shooting out, startling the other boy. 

“Hi! My name is Reginald, this is Luke!” The new boy shook Reggie’s hand cautiously, looking behind him to the brunette. Luke turned a sharp gaze to the new-comer, snapping his jaw at him. The new kid startled again, Reggie slightly laughing. “He’s mostly harmless, just kinda grouchy. What’s your name?” 

“I’m uh, Alex.” He offered a sheepish smile, awkwardly shaking Reggie’s hand. “You’re new? Right?”

“Yeah! How could you tell?” Reggie gave the boy a wide eyed gaze. 

“Well, you’re way more excited than anyone else, and also I’ve been here for five years and haven’t seen you before.” Alex laughed slightly. 

“Oh, yeah that’s fair.” Reggie laughed back, though the conversation is cut off as the teacher calls for attention at the front of the room. 

This special ed class, Reggie learns, is to help kids figure out ways to help kids with different mental disabilities find methods that help them learn best, while also learning to handle how though disabilities affect themselves, and how they could help out others as well. Reggie learns that Luke and Alex both also had ADHD like him. Luke also had autism and dyslexia, Alex having dyscalculia and anxiety, all of which the teacher explained what the things meant. The class ended with a getting to know your tablemates game, since this is where they’d be sitting for the rest of the year and Reggie grinned. 

“Do you guys have any siblings? Favorite foods? OH! Do you guys have any pets?” Reggie bounced slightly in his chair, looking between his two new friends excitedly. The two other boys look at each other before both gently pressing their hands into Reggie’s shoulders, a bright smile locked on his face. 

“Heel, boy.” Alex laughed gently. “Um, in order of how you asked, one older sister, I like burgers I guess? Oh, and no pets, yet.” The blonde nodded, turning his gaze to Luke. 

“No siblings...hot dogs and no pets.” He nodded, arms crossed. He began to push the chair onto the back two legs, one foot locked around the leg of the table. 

“You’re gonna fall if you keep that up.” Alex pointed out, leaning his head against the arm resting on their table. 

“I won’t fall, I do this all the time.” The brunette rolled his eyes, followed by sticking his tongue out at Alex.

Reggie opened his mouth to speak, but before he’s able to get any words out, Luke proceeds to tilt too far back and is sent toppling over in his chair. Reggie stared down at him, mouth agape. Him and Alex share panicked looks, before they both break out into a loud laughter. The entire class grew silent as they watched the three boys. Reggie and Alex both reach their hands down to help Luke up. 

“What’re you looking at?” Luke snapped, glaring around the room. Reggie gave a slight wince as he watched a streak of red dribble down Luke’s chin. 

“Oh, dude, are you ok?” Reggie pushed his face close to Luke’s, pulling on his chin. The boy proceeded to smack Reggie away, weakly. 

“I’m fine, I bit down on my tongue too hard.” Luke grumbled, the back of his hand wiping at his mouth. 

“That’s what you get for sticking your tongue out at me.” Alex replied, a large smirk on his face. 

“Oh, can it!” Luke’s eyes snapped up to the boy, but there was no real malice behind his words. The teacher cleared her throat, standing close to the boys. 

“Reginald, Alexander, would you mind taking Lucas to the nurse?” She smiled sweetly down at them, leaning down slightly. The boys nodded, all of them grabbing their things and heading out of the room. 

“What’s the nurse gonna do?” Luke grumbled, rolling his eyes as they made their way down the hall. 

“No clue! Did you hear she actually called you Lucas though? That’s so cool!” Reggie grinned, wrapping an arm around each boy. Luke gave him a small, conceding smile. 

“Yeah, I noticed, that was pretty cool.” Reggie could tell he couldn’t help but let a huge grin out. Alex gave a small smile, patting Luke’s shoulder. 

“It was awesome man! Now let’s see what the nurse can do for you.” The blonde pushed open the office door, ushering the other two boys in. 

“Hello, Miss Patterson, what can I do for you guys today?” The nurse smiled down sweetly at the boys. Reggie watched as Luke deflated from his previous self. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, you’re mistaken, Luke is a  _ mister _ .” Alex gave a large, fake grin up to the nurse, bitterness seeping into his voice. 

“Right...well what happened?” The nurse narrowed her eyes at Alex slightly. 

“He fell and bit down on his tongue, it was bleeding.” Reggie supplied. 

The nurse got Luke to open his mouth, inspecting his tongue before she pulled away. He snapped his jaw at her, causing her to jump back. Alex and Reggie smothered their giggles, their hands quickly clasping over their mouths. The nurse huffed, waving towards the door. 

“You’re all fine, just a little bleeding and swelling, now get back to class.” The boys quickly left the office, giggling to themselves as soon as the nurse was out of earshot. 

“She was so rude! We should tell someone about that.” Alex whispered, an anxious look pulling onto his face. 

“Maybe you’re right, but we can continue to be rude back to her until then.” Reggie nodded. “Mom always told me, respect is earned not given,” He jerked his thumb back towards her office. “That was not how you earn respect.” Reggie and Alex laughed, wrapping their arms around Luke. 

“Thank you guys.” Luke smiled, looking at the two boys. “That was really cool what you guys did, most of the other kids ignore me or are mean.” 

“Of course! There’s no reason to be mean.” Reggie shrugged. “One of my mom's old co-workers before we moved was the same way. She wasn’t born in the right body, you gotta do what you gotta do to be you.” Reggie winked, giving Luke a smirk. 

“We’re already all different and weird to everyone anyway, what’s the difference gonna be if we act how they expect to anyway?” Alex shrugged, looking at the two boys out of the corner of his eye. 

“Either way, means a lot.” Luke smiled.

“Hey, what if I see if my parents will let us all hang out after this period ends? I’ve never really had any friends, well ones I made on my own, I’m totally sure they’d love for me to bring people over.” Alex grinned.

Alex and Reggie looked at each other before quickly nodding, large grins on their faces. After classes end, Reggie searches out for his step-brother, Luke and Alex in tow. Upon finding him, they all yell his name, barreling at him. 

“What do you need! Oh my god.” Steven covers his face. Reggie tugs on the bottom of his shirt. 

“Can I use your phone? I wanna ask Mom if I can go to a friend's house.” Reggie gave him a huge, toothy smile. Steven grumbled, but passed his phone over anyway. After getting the okay from his mom, Reggie offered the phone to Luke despite Steven’s protests. Luke’s mom seemed very excited, and gave him the okay as well. Steven received his phone back and Luke and Reggie followed behind Reggie to his ride. 

“Mom told me to invite you guys over for dinner tomorrow, so if you guys would like to come do that, just let me know.” Luke rolled his eyes in a way, Reggie assumed, to pretend like he didn’t care. Reggie could tell otherwise. 

“Hi Mrs. Molina!” Alex smiled as he neared the car. 

“Hello Alex, honey. Who’re your friends?” The woman smiled down at the other two kids. 

“Hello, ma’am! I’m Reginald.” Reggie smiled widely at her, throwing his hand out to her. 

“Why, a sweet little gentleman!” She giggled, shaking Reggie’s hand. 

“This is Luke.” Reggie motioned back. “He calls me Reggie, you can too if you’d like.” She laughed, waving kindly to Luke. 

“I was wondering if I could call my mom and see if they could come over, is that alright?” Alex fidgeted with his hands, a nervous grin on his face. 

“Of course, mija, let me call her right now.” She pulled her phone out and proceeded to dial a number. 

“You could’ve used my step-brother’s phone.” Reggie pointed out. 

“He was already upset that Luke used it, besides Mrs. Molina is so nice.” Alex gave them a smile. 

“Yeah, who is she anyway?” Luke huffed, his arms crossing his chest. 

“My neighbor, her daughter goes here too. She’s actually in our last period with us.” Alex smiled. “Our parents are close friends, Mom’s are in a book club together, so we always end up stuck around each other.” He scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. 

“Alex!” A voice calls, causing the boys to turn around. A small girl encased in purple, glitter, butterflies and girl hair throws herself at the blonde. He gave a huff but laughed as he hugged her. “I totally thought you guys got in trouble with the nurse! What happened, are you ok?” She quickly turned to Luke and Reggie, as if she hadn’t seen them there. “Oh my god! Are you ok?” Her hands flew to Luke’s shoulders, inspecting his face closely. He brushed her off of him quickly. 

“I’m fine.” He quickly switched to shoving his hands in his pockets, his face quickly casted downward.

“We’re fine, Julie. The nurse was just being rude, so we decided to be rude back.” Alex offered her a sheepish smile.

“Wow! Who are you and what have you done with Alex Mercer?” Julie jokingly pointed an accusatory finger at him. 

“Alright mija, your mom said it was alright!” Mrs. Molina called from the car. The boys all grinned as she waved them in. Julie took the front seat of the van as the boys crowded in the back. 

“Julie, honey, where’s Carlos?” Her mother asked. 

“He was gathering up his stuff when I ran out to find Alex.” Julie shrugged, turning to look out her window. Within a few minutes another little boy came running up to the car, quickly jumping into the car. 

“I’ve figured out what I’m gonna be when I'm older!” He screamed as he pulled his door shut. 

“And what’s that, honey?” Mrs. Molina laughed as she began to drive towards their house. 

“A ghostbuster! I found some other kids who’re gonna be one too! We’re gonna be a group!” He bounced in his seat, and the boys in the back all laughed. The youngest jumped, turning to face them. 

“Mom, why are there two strange boys sitting with Alex.” 

“Alex made friends today, they’re gonna all hang out.” Reggie smiled at the kid, sticking his hand out. 

“Hi! I’m Reginald.” The boy wrinkled his nose at him, but shook his hand anyway. 

“Dude, you gotta stop telling people that, just go with Reggie.” Luke rolled his eyes before looking at the kid. “I’m Luke.” 

“Carlos.” The kid nodded, turning his back to the boys and began to bug Julie. 

After a bit of driving and all singing along to the music on the radio, they pulled up to the Molina residence, the kids all piling out of the car, Alex turning to Julie’s mom and grinning. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Molina.” 

“You don’t have to thank me, sweetie.” She pulled him into a hug, placing a motherly kiss to his head. “And you can call me Rose, no need to be so formal.” She laughed, waving to the other boys as they headed to Alex’s house. 

“Is your sister here too? Does she go to school with my step-brother, or is she like, college old?” Reggie skipped to the door, twirling around to look at the other two. Alex laughed lightly. 

“Nah, she’s in high school, she’s a sophomore, but she doesn’t go to that high school, she’s in some private school.” He rolled his eyes, making a face at the private school. 

“That’s lame.” Luke hummed. “Private schools look horrible on TV.” The other boys nodded in agreement, and followed Alex into his house. 

Meeting Alex’s parents went by mostly smoothly, they ended up not lingering around too long as they had a business dinner they had to make, so soon it was just the boy’s left with a reminder that the Molina’s were right next door if they needed anything. Alex’s older sister came home around an hour after their parents left and she was excited to meet Alex’s new friends. 

“What’s that?” Luke asked, pointing to a case slung across her back. 

“Oh!” Cressida grinned, walking into Alex’s room and placing it onto his bed. “This is my fender, pretty cool right?” She threw the lid open as she finished unzipping it to reveal a light pink guitar with a glittery marble pickguard. Alex laughed as he saw Reggie and Luke’s eyes grow wide. 

“Woah! Can you play something for us?” Reggie grinned, bouncing on his feet. Cressida laughed and threw her glittery white guitar strap over her shoulder. 

“Of course! We learned this today, it’s super cool.” She smiled, grabbing a light pink pick from her case, she began to strum out a tune. Reggie and Luke were entrance, their eyes watching how her fingers moved across the strings, listening to the deep tones that resonated around the room. Reggie’s eyes snapped to Luke after Cressida completed playing, he was in complete shock. 

“Can you teach me?” Luke asked in wonder, his eyes alight as they looked up to her. 

“I’d love to! Maybe not today, I have to go do some homework, but I’m glad you guys enjoyed me playing for you.” She smiled and put her guitar back into its case and pressed a kiss to Alex’s forehead. “I’ll see you guys later, let me know if you’re hungry and I can order pizza.” 

After they left all the boys could talk about was music, which was only amplified when Alex revealed that he also had an instrument of his own. 

“Ok, you can’t touch them because they’re like, my favorite thing ever, but come here.” He led the boys to the basement, and into a separate room. Sat in the middle was a shiny, brand new black drum set. Luke and Reggie cooed at it’s sleekness, getting close but allowed the item some space. “The doctors told my mom it’d be good to get me into something that can help get rid of my energy and nerves, so Rose suggested drums.” He had a slight smile on his face. “Mom also has me signed up for dance, but she’s the one who teaches the class, so it’s alright.” Alex shrugged. 

After a bit of pressure, Alex caved and played a bit of his drums for the boys, and showed them some of the dances his mom taught him. The night trucked on with the boys getting to become better friends, Alex’s sister ordering them pizza, Julie and Carlos bringing over sweets for them upon Mrs. Molina’s request, and as the night came to a close, Luke and Reggie’s parents arrived to get the boys. 

They departed with a tight hug and the promise to see each other tomorrow. That was the beginning of their friendship, growing closer over the years, and through Cressida’s lessons, Luke and Reggie learned guitar, and decided to form a band. Their first gig was playing for Alex’s mom’s book club, of which all of their moms ended up becoming a part of. After they finished playing and loading up on snacks, they’d usually join Julie in the corner to make jokes about the books the women were discussing, or imitating the ruder ladies. The four of them ultimately became inseparable at school, occasionally getting pulled into trouble, but they were all happy. 

Looking back on it, Reggie Peters grins at the memories, and thought maybe he wasn’t ready for his first day of fifth grade, but after that day, he knew he’d be ready to deal with anything that came his way, as long as he had his friends.


	2. Montage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie gets hurt, along with many other things, and he can only find it in himself to run.

Things certainly did get in his way, many times through his life, but the last thing Reggie wanted to do was worry his friends, and so he hid it, as much as he could. Getting people to believe he was simply excitable, stupid and naive was easy. Maybe a blow to his self-confidence and self-worth, but that was a problem for later.

It had started just after he started sixth grade, almost two years after his mom and his step-dad, George, got married, when their relationship started to spiral. Now in his senior year of high school, and seven years of dealing with the problems, he figured it wasn’t worth it to tell his friends. More trouble than he thought it’d be worth. Just a little while longer until he could move out, and he could attempt to help his sisters. 

Steven was long gone, having graduated a few years prior, receiving a full ride to some college in New York, miles away from any problems his family gave him. Reggie couldn’t blame him, he’d probably have hightailed it out of here too, if he weren’t so scared for his sisters, but he knew as long as he was here, his sister’s would be safe. 

His mother and step-dad had married, as he had learned recently, as some shitty business attempt to gain more money. Turns out their businesses weren’t as essential as they had thought, as their profits quickly plummeted. Reggie absently thanks any gods that may exist that his mother had friviouslessly bought him his bass when he had asked before this all came crashing down. 

Money was a hot topic for his parents to argue about, and was usually started just out of nothing. Reggie himself was also a fun subject, or at least he has been since he started high school. Them yelling at each other about being able to send him to college, questioning about if Steven wasn’t taking the business over then Reggie should, and numerous other arguments that Reggie was quick to turn away from. When he interjected, it just ended with him hurt and his step-father blowing money on a hotel room and room service alcohol. 

Reggie has only started intervening if his sister’s or mother was threatened, which was slowly becoming his step-father go-to, as if he was wanting Reggie to get involved now. 

He was beginning to think using clumsiness was going to start being an excuse he couldn’t use. Instead he took to sleeves, jeans and make-up. The first time his mom caught him in her make-up, she left the bathroom silently, allowing for him to continue. The day after, he found a bag with make-up in it on his bed and from that day he’d often find fresh bottles left on his pillow. A shitty consolation prize, he thought, but it was the thought he supposed. 

Reggie had signed his sister’s all up for after school activities, free ones to avoid more arguments, to keep them out of the house longer. He remembered counting down the months till he could get his license, already having started setting aside allowance, gig money and money from holidays and birthdays to get a car and had been since the first argument about money happened. Him getting his own car saved them a lot more than he’d like to admit. 

It was a few months into his senior year when things took a turn for the worse. During a particularly bad fight, he had stepped in to prevent George from hurting Alice.  _ What kind of horrible person would hurt an eight year old? _ , Reggie had thought to himself. That was when everything went black. 

He awoke hours later, in a hospital bed. The bright lights made his head throb, worse than it already was on its own. He tried to reach up to press his hand to his head, but found that he couldn’t fully move it. Fully looking down at his body, he let out an exasperated groan. His arm was in a cast, and there was bruising down his legs. 

A passing nurse heard his groan and quickly entered the room, soon followed by another nurse and a doctor. After a few questions, which he specifically avoided answering, they told him he had visitors waiting. He told them to bring them back. After a few moments he watched as Luke, Alex and Julie rushed into the room, eyes wide in shock at the state he was in. 

It was silent, they didn’t dare to speak, instead staring at their friend in horror, love and grief. 

“Would you believe me if I told you I fell cleaning out the gutter?” Reggie supplied, his voice coming out weak and scratchy. Each of them had their own reactions that tugged at Reggie’s heart strings. Luke took a deep breath before turning towards the door, nostrils flared and fists clenched. Julie came over to him, taking his free hand into hers, squeezing it tightly as tears ran down her face. Alex pressed his hands to his face, quickly threading his fingers into his hair and tugging, his pacing and anxious muttering beginning. 

Luke made his way to the nurse’s station and Reggie could hear him loudly demanding that George not be allowed anywhere near him anymore. He looked up to Julie, squeezing her hand gently. 

“I’m sorry.” He felt hot tears drip down his face. 

“No, no, Reg, you have nothing to be sorry about.” Julie assured him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

“No but I do.” His voice rose a bit, looking back up to the door as Luke came back in. “I should’ve told you guys. I thought I could handle it, but obviously I couldn’t.” He felt the tears falling quicker as the world blurred around him. 

Two pairs of hands wiped the tears from his eyes, a different set of hands settling comfortingly on his ankles. He looked up at Julie and Alex above him, Luke at the foot of his bed. 

“You handled it on your own long enough, and you’re so strong for dealing with it as long as you did. We’re here because we love you, Reg. Ride or die.” Alex cradled his face gently. Reggie gave a small nod, a clump forming in his throat. “Besides, we had our suspicions, but couldn’t figure out a way to bring it up to you.”

“What’s important is it won’t happen anymore, your mom and sisters gave statements to the police.” Luke murmured, his eyes focused on the machines around Reggie’s bed. “George is being put away, they mentioned getting Steven coming down to give a statement. Your sister’s are at my house.” 

Reggie could only nod, knowing that if he tried to talk now, he’d only release loud sobs. 

“My mom brought us up so that we could keep you company, we got special permission to stay past visiting hours.” Julie gave him a weak wink. “Perks of her and Emily both being nurses here, I guess.” 

The next couple weeks are mostly a blur to Reggie, vague memories of Steven visiting, the conviction of his parents, the blur of his aunt gaining legal guardianship, the Molina’s getting Reggie. Reggie moving his things into their house, his room next to Julie’s and across from Carlos’. Julie, Luke and Alex all helping him preparing his room with him, painting and putting posters up and decorations up. 

The clearest thing he remembered was having a party to welcome him into the Molina family, each of his friends bringing him a gift. From Rose and Ray ( _ ‘and Carlos!’ _ ) he received a bright red CD player, a fancier one he remembered offhandedly mentioning to Ray. From Alex, a collection of all of Taylor Swift’s CD’s, he assumed they coordinated gifts. From Luke, a pair of noise cancelling headphones, to match his own that Reggie would borrow occasionally. Julie made a show of running to her room to get hers, having gotten their band of four all matching guitar string bracelets, complete with their own special colors. Julie’s was brilliant purple, Alex’s a gentle pink, Luke’s a strong blue and Reggie’s deep red. 

Settling in at the Molina’s was easy, and Reggie was still able to see his sisters, which meant the most to him. The love held in the walls of their home was crucial to Reggie. Despite his comfort, he still found himself lying awake for hours, his arm still in it’s cast. His mind felt busy, kicked into overdrive, worried over every small thing from the past few years. It was every night for a week that he found this happening, the same moments replying through his head. 

It was the seventh night when he found himself crawling out of his bed, looking around to his new room, feeling the walls closing in around him. He quickly grabbed a jacket, shoes and his phone and took off. Into the chilly Californian night, no end goal in mind, just the loudness in his head and the feeling of dread dripping down his spine. 

When his brain caught up to his body, he found himself staring up at his home, or at least what was his home. A large sign in the front lawn with the bold red letters reading ‘FOR SALE’ on it, taunting him. Reggie let a sigh escape through his nose before he turned, back to the way he came, and continued on. As he continued on, he picked up speed, and it felt like all he ever knew was running. 

Reaching a busy strip, he found himself easily dodging body, his casted arm held tightly to his chest. Logically, he knew there was no reason to run, but that didn’t stop him. Logic rarely did. 

He didn’t stop running, this time, until he saw the bright sun blazing overhead, not knowing how much time had passed. He finally stopped, finding a nearby bench and letting his aching body rest. Checking his phone, which still luckily had battery, he saw the countless missed calls and texts from his family. He pressed his body back, flushed against the bench and focused on the countless bodies passing him. 

Another couple hours passed as he sat there, people watching and creating stories in his head for these strangers, his head cradled in his uninjured hand. He only stopped people watching when a hand waved itself in front of his face. Reggie let out a startled gasp, his back slamming into the back of the bench. 

“There a reason why you’re so far away from your home and not answering anyone on your phone?” Reggie looked up into the grey-blue eyes of Cressida Mercer, who was quick to take a seat beside him on the bench, her tongue toying with her lip piercings. 

“Everything was too much.” He replied quietly, his eyes looking down to his worn down converse. 

“I’d say Rose and Ray are worried sick, but I think Alex takes the cake there.” She gave him a small laugh, nudging her knee against his, ignoring the blush he felt appear. “Can I take you home?” He kept his face down, feeling her eyes burning his skin, but he gave a sharp shake of his head. 

She sighed slightly, pushing her fingers through her hair, fanning it over her shoulder. 

“I see where Alex gets his hair thing.” He joked, voice weak and airy. 

“Yeah, he takes more from me than our parents would like, I think.” She laughed as she stood up, offering a hand to him. “Come on, even if you don’t wanna go home, we can’t stay here.” He gave her a nod, taking her hand in his. She gently led him to her car, plugging her phone into the aux cord as soon as they hopped in and hitting a random playlist. 

“Where will you take me?” He asked after a few minutes. 

“Well, I’m assuming you’re probably hungry, so I’m gonna swing by a McDonald’s, and then we can go back to my place.” He nodded gently at her words, curling up in the front seat. 

They did as she said they would, and he was surprised how overwhelmingly  _ her  _ her apartment was. The old fender he remembered her teaching him and Luke on, sat on a stand in the corner beside the grey couch, a fluffy pink rug covering the floor. Everywhere he looked it was full of music, love and pink. He felt a small smile grace his face as he sunk into the couch, their lunch being spread out on the coffee table in front of them. 

“Gemma is out at her classes right now, so it’ll just be us for a little while, that ok?” Reggie gave her a nod as he began picking at his food. “Do you need anything?” He heard the worry seep into her voice, the same worry that Alex carried with him. He felt a clump appear in his throat, and he nodded. Her eyes lingered on his face, a silent question. 

“Can you see if Alex can come over? Just Alex.” He sniffed slightly, attempting to disguise the tightness in his throat. She nodded and left the room, leaving him to his own devices as she made a call. 

Soon, his food is gone, and it feels like not too long after making that realization, Gemma and Alex are making their way into the apartment. Gemma lingers around the outside of the rug, watching as Alex took off to pull his friend into his arms. 

“Hey, hey! Watch the cast!” Came a muffled shout from Reggie, as Cressida joined her girlfriend at the edge of the rug, their hands slowly threading together. 

“Come on, babe, let’s give them some time.” Cressida murmured, pulling Gemma to their shared room. The couple played music idly as they conversed about their assignments, classes, classmates and anything else they could think of. Cressida, after a few hours, excused herself to go check on the two teens. 

Cressida found the two on the couch, pressed into each other's sides and sound asleep, their legs and fingers interlocked. She smiled gently, grabbing a blanket out of their closet and draping it across the boys. She went back into her room, texting Rose and her own mother to let them know both boys were safe, and would be staying the night at her’s tonight. She knew she was just prolonging any trouble or guilt that’d be coming to them, but they seemed like they needed a break. 

She chose to ignore how much stress was void in their peaceful state, not allowing her heart to focus on the amount of pain these kids must have faced while she wasn’t around. Gemma pulled her from her thoughts with a gentle kiss. 

“Come on honey, let’s take a page from their book and sleep. I can hear the worry in that brain of yours.” Gemma laughed, and Cressida followed closely behind her. 

“You are Mrs. Right.” She joked, falling into bed beside her. 

“And don’t you forget it!” Gemma gave her a caring smile before she kissed away any worry previously in her girlfriend's mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cressida may seem familiar if you've read Guiltless, because she's the sister I created for Alex and I will include her in everything because I love this offshoot random character I've made. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter <3


	3. Distracted Thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week after Reggie and Alex stay at Cressida's place, they still haven't addressed their conversation...yet.

A week after Alex and Reggie had slept over at Cressida’s apartment, they still hadn’t brought up what they talked about there. Luke and Julie were infuriated to no end, the boys sharing new inside jokes and looks, leaving them confused and the odd ones out. 

Reggie wasn’t totally sure if he wanted to bring it up, still not totally sure if the conversation happened or if it was something he imagined in his half-awake state. Waking up the morning after wrapped around each other, but warm and feeling home was real. He knew that, and he clung to that memory like a lifeline. 

During passing periods, free moments in class, the small gaps between songs during band practice and any free seconds he has, he focuses on their conversation. Alex’s worries about losing Reggie, his anxieties of not being there for him enough, his fear of how he thought he almost had lost Reggie. Twice now. All Reggie could do was apologize, his chest feeling tight. The feeling of Alex’s hands on his face, in his hair, wiping the tears away from his eyes. 

He really didn’t know if it was a memory or wishful thinking. 

He wasn’t sure he was ready to find out, especially if that continued on the way he thought it did, although he always stopped himself before he could think any further, not ready to tarnish the memory just yet. 

It wasn’t until a couple days later, almost a week and a half after Cressida’s, that Reggie finds himself being pulled into an empty closet by his uninjured arm at school. He opened his mouth to argue, but a hand clamped over his mouth. Once the door was shut, Reggie spun around to see who pulled him inside. 

It was Alex. 

Reggie watched the boy turn clear blue eyes to him, one hand resting on his hip and the other threading through his blonde hair. Reggie swallowed thickly, staring up at him helplessly. 

“We need to…” Alex breathed out, his voice failing before he cleared his throat. “We need to talk.” They started at each other, sizing each other up anxiously before Reggie gave a small nod. 

“Firstly...did that actually happen?” Alex looked at Reggie, sharp blue eyes meeting muddled blue-green. Reggie thinks Alex is offering him an out, one last chance to dodge the topic. A chance to drop it entirely. 

“Yeah, I think it did.” His voice feels steadier than he is, worrying his lips between his teeth. He watches as the blonde nods, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “I meant it...more.” Reggie felt his face heat, quickly looking anywhere but Alex. 

“More?” Alex pressed, taking a slight step forward, testing his limits. 

“More than this.” Reggie motioned between the two of them with his free hand.  _ Fuck, he couldn’t wait to get this cast off.  _ Alex took another step closer, a foot of space still between them. Reggie turned his head back to the boy, hoping his eyes and red face told him all he needed. 

“Are you sure? You’re not just saying this?” With this final step, Reggie’s casted arm was pressed deeper, held tightly between both of their chests. The warmth from Alex’s body filled him with a surge of confidence, a small smile appearing on his lips. 

“Get out of your head Alex, be in the moment.” He smirked, his free hand ghosting over Alex’s heart. “What comes next?” Alex’s eyes alight for a short moment, a spark of confidence finding its place among his anxieties. He surged forward to press his lips to Reggie’s, the shorter boy meeting him in the middle. 

Reggie’s hand gripped tightly at Alex’s shirt, the blonde moving one hand to Reggie’s hip and the other cradling the back of his head. Reggie found himself laughing slightly against the other boys lips, snaking his hand around into his hair. The blonde smiled, their teeth knocking together as they moved. 

Reggie couldn’t help but drink in every detail of this moment, letting it ingrain into his head. The sound of Alex’s breath, labored and excited as opposed to the panicked or annoyed he was used to. His usual smell of lavender and clean laundry, but tenfold, and Reggie thinks he could just drown in this scent. Reluctantly, Reggie pulled away, gently tugging Alex’s bottom lip with him. 

They stood there for a moment, chests heaving as they grinned. They let a comfortable silence fall as they caught their breaths. 

“Holy shit.” Alex sighed out, dropping his forehead to press into Reggie’s. 

“That was hot.” Reggie grinned up at the boy, watching pink spread up his neck. 

“Oh, shut up.” He rolled his eyes playfully, although the bassist didn’t miss the pink that finally made it to his face.

“I don’t think I will, now that I know you can do that if you really want me quiet.” He felt devilish as he played with the blonde’s hair. 

“I certainly do, but I’ll need to start bringing my inhaler with me if you keep it up.” Alex quipped back, brushing his nose against his. 

“As if you don’t keep it on you all the time anyway, along with a backup.” Reggie laughed, pulling his face away for a moment. 

“You know me too well.” Alex tried to give some bite to his reply, but all that came out was the genuine, heartfelt statement. 

“That I do. Now, what do you think Luke and Julie are thinking that we’re missing class?” Reggie saw panic flash in Alex’s eyes, but quickly cut him off. “What do you think they’d think if we happened to skip out and get out of here?” He could practically feel Alex’s brain working, weighing the words and meanings in his brain. Reggie gave a good natured eye roll before capturing the blonde’s lips in his again. 

“Ok, ok, not fair.” Alex laughed, pulling away from the kiss after a few moments. “Maybe we should get out of here, but mostly because I think you stretched out the collar of my shirt and I don’t wanna deal with Luk

The next few minutes were spent with the boys peeking out of the closet they were in, Reggie’s brain filling in the silence with his own personal secret spy movie-esque soundtrack. They managed to get out of the school without getting caught, quickly making their way to Alex’s empty house, their hands clasped tightly between them. 

“This makes me so much more antsy to get this damn cast off than before.” Reggie found himself pouting, pulling his best puppy-dog eyes on Alex. e’s teasing.” Alex grinned at him. 

  
  


“You’ll be healed soon, just a little bit longer right?” Alex laughed, pulling Reggie into him and pressing their lips together sweetly. 

“Yeah, just a couple more weeks.” The bassist replied airily. The drummer laughed in reply, unlocking the door as they made their way to Alex’s room. 

The next few hours were spent pressed into each other’s arms, hands wandering and lips latching where they could. Reggie feels happier than he’s been in a long while, not having to feel like he’s hiding anything anymore, everything is out in the open. 

“Should we talk about this?” He hummed against Alex’s lips, the other boy’s hands making their way under his shirt. 

“Whenever you’d like to.” Alex smiled, pressing a final kiss to his lips before trailing them up his jaw. 

“Later? For now can we just...be?” Reggie let his free hand slide under Alex’s shirt and up his back, tilting his head to give the other boy more space to kiss. 

“We’ll just be.” Alex murmured. “Just be us, love.” Reggie let out a small content sigh, sure that this is where he was always meant to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about this chapter: I had to genuinely look up how to write make-out scenes, because I've never written them before. So, if it was bad, that is why. This was also where the story kinda developed on it's own, cause I started just going with the first stuff that came to mind and apparently it was Yearning(TM) 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed todays chapter! See you tomorrow for the next one <3


	4. All Fun and Games Until...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie and Alex define their relationship, amongst...other things.

After talking between themselves on what this meant for them, they both agreed they liked the idea of being each other’s boyfriends, although they agreed they wouldn’t tell anybody else just yet. At first, they were both worried they’d be figured out, and with that worry came the guilt for not telling anybody else. 

After a few days, sneaking around was almost like a game. Kissing behind books in the library, shooting winks during band practice behind Julie and Luke’s backs, sneaking off during lunch to makeout. The only people who they think might’ve caught onto their act, was Rose. A few days was slowly turning into almost two weeks.

Soon enough, Reggie’s eighteenth birthday was nearing, the first in their friend group to turn eighteen. Reggie was excited, expecting this birthday to be his best one yet. 

“Hey, darling, what would you say if I asked you if we could tell everyone on my birthday?” Reggie hummed, playing with Alex’s fingers as they sat in an empty classroom, enjoying their lunch. He felt the blonde’s hand go still, and looked up to him, worry seeping into his bones. 

“You think we’re ready?” He let out a startled breath, eyes meeting Reggie’s. He received a nod in response. 

“I don’t think I could care what anyone says, I have you. We’re already out, the worst thing that could happen is you get kicked out and Rose gets another kid.” Reggie laughed, pressing a kiss to Alex’s forehead as he brushed his hair back. 

“You’re not wrong.” Alex hummed. 

“Wow, can I get that recorded?” Reggie laughed, resting his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He heard Alex give a slight scoff, reaching up to rub circle’s into his back. 

“Wanna sleep over tonight?” Reggie pressed a small kiss into his collarbone, pressing himself further into Alex. 

“Yeah, I don’t think my parents will mind.” After Reggie nodded, they finished up their lunches, a few stray kisses here and there and joined in with the rhythm of the rest of the school day. They go their separate ways once they reach their houses, Reggie finally getting his cast taken off and Alex having to complete homework. 

This was the happiest Reggie had been to see his naked arm in his entire life, wanting to rush home quickly to shower the skin for the first time in weeks. The ride home was mostly silent until him and Rose were about halfway home. 

“So, mija…” Rose hummed, turning the music down slightly. 

“Hmm?” Reggie turned his gaze from his arm to her, head tilted in question.

“When were you gonna tell us about Alex?” The teasing in her voice was heavy, and Reggie felt his ears grow bright red. 

“What?” He could hear his voice go up a few octaves. “What do you mean?” He paused, burying his face in his hands. “How’d you know?” 

“Let’s call it a mother’s intuition.” She laughed, a sound that made Reggie feel more embarrassed. 

“Oh my god, do you think his mom knows?” Reggie whispered, fear chilling him to his core. 

“No, honey, I don’t think she does. If anything does happen between them, I don’t think you’d mind sharing your room, would you?” Rose teased him again, laughing again as he groaned. “He does have a place with us though, if his parents make any fuss. We’ll make it work.” 

All Reggie could do was agree. 

“We’re gonna tell everyone at my birthday.” He hummed silently. “Is it also okay if he stays over tonight?” Reggie looked up to her with the best pleading eyes he could muster. 

“Like I said, he has a place with us.” Rose smiled. “Don’t think that I haven’t noticed that you don’t sleep well on nights where he isn’t sleeping over.” 

“Sorry.” He laughed, giving her a sheepish smile. 

“You don’t have to apologize honey, I get it.” Rose smiled at him as she parked in their driveway. “Sometimes, whether you want it to or not, home is where your heart is.” Her eyes glanced out past Reggie’s window. “Go get your man.” She gave him one final smile, followed by a wink before she made her way into their house. 

Reggie looked over, seeing his boyfriend staring at him through his bedroom window and Reggie couldn’t help but grin. Alex quickly turned red, realizing he was caught but grinned back. Reggie glanced around before blowing him a kiss, waving at him and then giving him a thumbs up. Alex rolled his eyes, but pretended to catch the kiss nonetheless before pointing down to his homework. Reggie nodded and waved, running inside his house. 

About an hour later, there was a knock at the door and Reggie smiled as Ray welcomed Alex in, directing him to Reggie’s room. He quickly made sure to shut the door behind him before he made his way to Reggie, dramatically falling onto his bed. 

“Woe is me, math is simply too much.” He whined, an arm being thrown across his face. 

“Alex, you big baby. You know if you need help with math, that I can help you.” Reggie laughed, looping his fingers through the blondes. “I’m not taking pre-calc a second time just because I enjoy pre-calc, I’m taking it so you don’t flunk, dork.” 

“Don’t remind me how much better at math you are than me, it only hurts my ego.” 

“Oh shut up, sometimes you need to be taken down a few pegs.” 

“Me? We’re talking about me here? I’m the one with the ego? Everyone in our group, but I’m the one famous for the ego?” Alex laughed, eyes looking into Reggie’s. 

“Ok, maybe not ego. But sometimes you’re a bit too sarcastic and sassy for your own good.” The bassist smiled at his boyfriend, rolling his body on top of the drummers. He smiled as he placed both hands around the boy's face, thankful that he could move his arm. 

“Oh can I? Hmm, wish there was a way someone could stop me.” Alex smirked, a hand sliding up the back of Reggie’s shirt, the other gripping his hip. 

Reggie let out a laugh, leaning his head down to catch Alex’s lips in his. The kiss started out slow and sweet, quickly gaining momentum as Reggie’s fingers laced into the soft blonde hair, tugging gently. The groan released against his lips set his heart on fire and he pressed himself into Alex, his tongue sliding against his lips. 

The kiss is rough, but full of emotions and Reggie can’t help but feel safe and protected in the other boy’s arms. Sadly, everything comes to a screeching halt. Literally. They two boys on the bed freeze as a high pitched screech is let out by a figure in the doorway. 

In a panic, Reggie tried to push himself off of Alex, his foot somehow tangled in his blankets and Alex’s hand quickly pushing him upwards. The bassist finds himself plummeting to the floor by his bed, although thankful for the division it gave him from the person in the doorway. 

“Holy shit, Reg, are you ok?” Alex’s panicked voice brought him back to the present, the blonde looking over him from his place on the bed. Reggie gave him a nervous smile and a nod, slowly standing up and looking at his door. 

There, in all her glory, stood Julie, and despite everything Reggie filled with dread. The girl didn’t speak, her mouth hanging open after her scream died in her throat. After a moment Ray appears behind her. 

“Everything okay? We heard a scream and then a huge thump.” Ray looked over the three teens, worry bright in his eyes. 

“Everything is great Mr. Molina.” Alex nodded tightly, his face slowly turning pink. Ray cast one last look over the kids before nodding and heading back downstairs. 

Almost as if Ray jump-started Julie, her body snapped back to life as she quickly shut the door to Reggie’s room and made her way over to them. 

“What the fuck was that!” She whisper-yelled, her hands flying wildly around her. Reggie looked at Alex, their eyes meeting for a solid moment before they both sighed, hands reaching out for each other. 

“We’re uh..” Reggie looked over to Julie, pausing himself as he squeezed Alex’s hand, worrying his lip between his teeth. 

“Dating.” Alex finished for him, his voice firm, pulling Reggie back to Earth. 

“For how long?” Julie looked at them, her hands on her hips. _ Julie really took a lot after Rose _ , Reggie thought to himself. He let out another sigh, his eyes now moving anywhere but Julie. He knew Alex was avoiding her gaze too. 

“Around two weeks now? Maybe a little over.” Reggie answered quietly. 

“TWO WEEKS!” The loud shrillness in Julie’s voice caused the boy to flinch. Alex is quick to pull Reggie, into him, a gentle kiss pressed into his forehead before shooting Julie a look. The girl mumbled a quick apology before she sighed, settling herself on the foot of the bed, not too far from where Reggie sat. “Why didn’t you tell me? Tell us…” 

Reggie watched as she hesitantly placed a hand onto his knee, and he finally caught her eyes. He felt he could almost drown in the multitudes of emotion that were just held in her eyes. The sadness in not being told, the shock of the situation, the care she held for him, and so much more. He felt himself cave, his eyes tear up and grabbed her hand with his newly uncast hand. 

“We didn’t tell anyone, we just kept it to ourselves. We were gonna tell everyone on my birthday. Rose totally figured it out though.” Reggie laughed, a few stray tears falling down his face. “It wasn’t anything against you, we just...I don’t know. Were worried? We knew you, and Luke, and Ray and Rose and Carlos, none of you would care. We’re still us. We’re already out, but this was just so much more, and with Alex’s parents.” Reggie couldn’t stop himself from babbling, turning to look up at his boyfriend. 

“We weren’t ready.” Alex said, his eyes staring into Reggie’s as he let out a small sigh. “I wasn’t ready. I am now, I think.” Reggie tightened his grip on the blonde’s hand. “How could I not be?” Alex pressed a soft kiss to the bassist's nose. 

“I’ll forgive you guys.” Julie laughed, tears sparkling in her eyes. “This is too cute, and I also don’t think I could stay mad at you guys very long anyway, then who would tease Luke with me?” They all laughed together, any tension in the room dissolving. 

Reggie pulled Julie into him, quickly pulling Alex as well, tightly holding them to his chest. 

“Look what I can do again!” They laughed at his antics, the way he preferred it. 

“That’s actually why I came in. I meant to come in when you got back, but I had to finish a music assignment.” Julie smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll leave you guys alone now, I’ll come knock when dinner is ready.” She waved, taking her leave, making sure to shut the door behind her. 

They both laid back on the bed, hands still clasped together. They stared up at Reggie’s ceiling and the little glow in the dark shapes they had put up there when he moved it, silently. 

“Did you mean it?” Reggie asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment. 

“Yeah...yeah I did.” Alex hummed, watching as Reggie rolled onto his side, and quickly followed suit. They stayed like that for a little while, facing each other in the bed, hands held tightly between them and smiles rested on their lips. Slowly, Reggie leaned in and pressed his lips to Alex’s savoring the soft breath the blonde let out, how peaceful and sweet it felt and how quickly warmness spread through his chest. 

“Good.” Reggie hummed, pulling away from the kiss to press his forehead to Alex’s. “Would you want to invite Luke and your parents over for dinner? I think Rose would love an excuse to make even more food.” He laughed slightly, ghosting his hands over his boyfriend’s body. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” The drummer nodded, but his boyfriend could tell how anxious he was. 

“Hey, it’ll be ok. Rose won’t let anything happen to you, Ray either. Have you seen the way he swings the bat when Carlos makes him help with his pitching practice? Dude could probably kill someone, one hit.” He watched Alex’s eyes crinkle with laughter before continuing. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you right? Even if I break my arm again and have to do another two months in a cast, it’d be worth it cause you’d still be with me.” He pressed soft kisses over the blonde’s face. Alex remained silent, a content smile on his lips. 

He didn’t have to reply, Reggie knew him better than anyone, and he knew how much his words meant. He ends up texting Luke, inviting him over and texting Rose to make sure it was ok, and seeing if she would invite the Mercers. 

Dinner time finally rolls around, and Reggie finds himself incredibly nervous. Luke had shown up about an hour before dinner, and Mercer's right on time, with Cressida and Gemma in tow. Cressida and Gemma also coming was a shock to Reggie, but when he saw the smile on Rose’s face he knew she’d done it for a reason. They all got their plates, filling it with the amazing food that Ray and Rose had made, and they had certainly made plenty. Reggie let everyone get settled in, waiting for a lull in the conversation. When that lull happened, he glanced at Alex who gave him a slight nod, their hands joining under the table. He gently cleared his throat, watching as everyone turned their focus to him. 

“So, part of the reason we had everyone come for dinner tonight, thank you for dinner by the way Rose and Ray.” He watched them both smile at him before he continued, taking a deep breath. “Me and Alex are dating, and we wanted to let you all know.” He rushed out, taking in another deep breath and holding it in his chest. His eyes quickly found Alex’s, their hands gripped tighter. 

For a moment, there is only silence. Reggie looked up, seeing Julie and Rose giving him the same, loving smile with Ray and Carlos looking between the two women with an affectionate but exasperated smile. Luke seemed completely shocked and Reggie could almost hear the screeching dial-up sound coming from his friend’s brain. A tight squeeze of his shoulder dragged his attention to Cressida who gave him a large smile, Gemma leaning on her with a matching smile. 

Reggie’s mood lifted exponentially from everyone's excitement as he turned to Alex, whose face was frozen, his eyes on his parents. He looked up at Mr and Mrs Mercer, their shock and anger bright on their face. Alarm bells rang in his head, and he pushed himself closer to Alex, a hand going across the boy’s chest as his parent’s eyes moved from the drummer to the bassist. 

He could tell they were struggling to figure out the words they wanted to say, but Reggie being even closer to Alex seemed to send them over the edge. The screech of their chairs as they quickly stood up, one of the chairs quickly toppling over, made Reggie flinch, but he sat unwavered with his arm in front of Alex. 

“Alexander, Reginald, I think you two are just confused.” Mrs. Mercer’s honey-like voice rang, desperation evident. 

“With all due respect ma’am, I don’t think we are.” Reggie felt his voice steel, coming out stronger than he felt. 

“We knew you boy’s had taken after Cressida, but this is just ridiculous.” Mr. Mercer huffed, a heavy hand coming down on the table. Rose and Ray quickly stood up, their mouths flying open, but Reggie put his hand up to stop them. They raised their eyebrows to him, but they conceded, Rose with a small knowing smile on her face. 

“Cressida has nothing to do with, unless to show us how proud we should be.” Reggie said carefully, slowly rising to his feet. “She’s a grown adult who can make her own decisions, but she can do that because she is her own person, not just because she’s an adult. You do not have control over who your kids end up being, no matter how hard you try. They’re gay because they were made that way. I’m bi, because I was made that way. That is not up to you to decide, as much as you seem to think you can control the situations. We are people, not puppets.” Reggie steeled his gaze at his boyfriend’s parents, feeling Alex gently squeeze his hand. 

He watched as they floundered, unable to piece together an intellectual response. They both let out a huff, Mr. Mercer quickly turned and left the house. Mrs. Mercer smoothed the skirt of her dress, giving a polite head tilt to the Molinas. 

“It was a lovely dinner, thank you.” Her voice was steady but they could all feel the bitterness in the words. “Alexander, you may come gather your things tomorrow.” With her final words, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the house. Reggie stayed on his feet, his eyes glued to the door the two adults left through. 

A tug on his hand brought him back to the present, turning to look down at Alex. The blonde smiled at him, eyes gleaming with tears running down his face. Reggie quickly sat back down, pulling the boy into his arms holding him to his chest. He could feel the burn of everyone’s eyes on them, but he was too focused on his boyfriend to care at the moment. 

When Alex finally raised his face to look at him, Reggie smiled widely at him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. A few coos from around them left him scrunching his nose up. 

“Thanks, Reg.” Cressida placed her hand on his head, ruffling his hair up, much to protests. 

“Couldn’t let them try to blame you, that wouldn’t have been right.” He shrugged, leaning his head against Alex’s. 

“So, how long has this been going on?” Luke asked, his smirk evident on his face. 

“Two weeks.” Julie answered smoothly, causing everyone to give her curious stares. “What? Reggie didn’t lock his door, I found them making out earlier.” She laughed, high-fiving Luke as she winked at the two boys. Reggie rolled his eyes despite his blush. 

“Well, Lex, if you want, me and Gemma have an extra room at our place.” Cressida offered. 

“You’re always welcome here too.” Ray supplied, his arm wrapping around his wife. 

“I know, thank you all.” Alex finally spoke, his voice small and breaking. 

“What a weird family we have.” Carlos hummed, taking a bite of food. 

“That we do.” Rose laughed, lighting up the room. “But you know what, mija? It’s  _ ours _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter <3 this one was also fun to write, I wanted to have a focus of Reggie not tolerating any shit. Reggie can have some badass moments I think, protect his friends and stuff. Check back tomorrow for the final chapter!! <3


	5. Late Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie awaits midnight for his 18th birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Final chapter time! This chapter is a bit short, but it felt like a nice way to end things.

Eventually, they settled on Alex swapping between Cressida’s and the Molina residence, so he had his belongings spread between the two houses. He picked up very quickly that if he didn’t want any of his favorite shirts or hoodies taken by Reggie, he’d keep them on or at Cressida’s. 

That didn’t end up happening, so Reggie found himself going from school and band practices in shirts that were the slightest bit too big and not quite the style he usually wore. Reggie went into school feeling lighter than he has, all because of his friends and new family. If you told him two years ago that this would happen, he wouldn’t have believed a single word. 

Amongst the chaos of Alex’s living situation, Reggie found the boy pressed into his side on the eve of his eighteenth birthday. Reggie’s CD played faintly in the background, one of the Taylor Swift albums that Alex had gotten him currently in it. They focused more on idle chatter and lazy kisses, waiting for midnight to hit. 

Reggie had insisted that they wait for it, as it was what he did every year, his own personal tradition. He wanted to include his new family in on it, but first, for this year, he just wanted to spend it with Alex.

Reggie would pause the conversation occasionally to sing along with whatever song happened to be playing, much to Alex’s amusement. As  _ ‘Our Song’  _ was closing, Reggie quickly climbed out of the bed. 

“Dance with me!” He grinned, pulling Alex up quickly. “Let’s see what I remember from the few dance lessons you and your mom gave me.” He winked, which got a smile out of Alex and seemed to be all the convincing he needed. Alex held him, Reggie following his stance easily. They began to slow dance just as  _ ‘I’m Only Me When I’m With You’  _ started up. 

“You totally knew this song was next, didn’t you?” Alex laughed lightly, to which he got a cheeky smile in return. They continued their swaying, Alex gently twirling him every once in a while as Reggie softly sang the song to him. They continued, Alex leading them and Reggie singing until the song ended. 

Reggie moved his arms so they were resting on Alex’s shoulders, Alex’s hands moving to hold his hips. They swayed like that for a few moments before Reggie dared to break the silence. 

“I think this will be my best birthday yet.” He hummed it quietly, leaning his head on the other boy’s chest. He relaxed, listening to the gentle beat of his heart, wishing he could stay in this moment forever. 

“Hey, look.” Alex hummed, motioning to the digital clock sitting on his dresser. Glancing over, the clock was at midnight. Reggie turned, grinning up at his boyfriend and pulled him down for a tender kiss. After a few moments, the blonde pulled back, giving him a breathless laugh. “Happy birthday, Reg.” 

Reggie isn’t sure how long they stand there, swaying in each other's arms, but before long he ends up yawning, nuzzling gently against his boyfriend’s warm chest. 

“Come on, let’s get to bed.” Alex laughed gently, ushering him back into the bed. As Reggie climbed in, he watched as his boyfriend went and swapped out the CD, skipping forward a few songs.  _ ‘Lover’ _ began playing quietly. He laughed slightly, which just ended with him yawning once more. The blonde took his spot next to him under the blanket. 

“You just wanted to listen to pop music.” Reggie teased, pressing a gentle kiss to Alex’s collarbone, pressing his hand over his heart. 

“Maybe so. Maybe I am a sap after all.” Alex laughed, pressing a kiss into his mop of dark hair. They sat there, once again trading lazy kisses back and forth as they waited for sleep to take them and Reggie quietly singing along. As the songs inched on, he felt his voice slur and turn to murmurs, feeling the gentle pull of sleep. He heard the beginning to ‘ _ Paper Rings _ ’ start and he woke himself up the slightest bit to keep singing this song, tracing his face idly around Alex’s chest. 

He rested his chin opposite of where his hand was, staring into Alex’s crystal blue eyes, singing along to the peppy song. He watched his boyfriend’s eyes soften, his fingers raising to play with Reggie’s hair, letting out a small huff of a laugh. 

“God, I can’t believe I fell in love with you.” Tumbles out of Alex’s mouth, and they both feel the air still around them, both suddenly much more awake. “Oh my fucking god, I said that out loud.” Alex mumbled, panic seeping into his voice. Reggie couldn’t find any words in his head, every possible word feeling just out of reach, so he just sat there, staring at Alex with wide eyes, an open mouth and a bright red face. 

He only snapped out of it as he realized Alex was tipping into panic attack range and quickly switched modes. He pulled Alex to his chest, one hand massaging his head, the other rubbing circles into his arm and he continued singing to him softly, waiting for Alex’s breath to even out before speaking. 

“Do you wanna do the five method thing?” Reggie hummed, feeling Alex shake his head gently. 

“I’m fine now, I’m good.” Alex cleared his throat, looking up at Reggie. “Thank you, for that.” Reggie laughed, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s nose. 

“Of course, I’d do anything for you.” He brought both hands to Alex’s face, pulling him into a tender kiss. “Do you want to talk about it or would you want to wait until you’re more comfortable?” 

“We can talk about it, yeah. That’s fine.” Alex took a deep breath before nodding. “I hadn’t...intended to say anything yet, but yeah.” Reggie watched the bright blush return to his face. 

“Here I was, hoping you’d make an event out of it, with flowers, maybe playing something for me on your drums.” Reggie sighed before laughing slightly. 

“It’s not funny! I wanted to do something special.” Alex pouted, brushing his hair out of his face. 

“That’s why I’m teasing you, honey.” He let out another laugh. “I don’t need anything big or whatever. You’re special enough.” 

“Now who’s the sap.” Alex teased, looking up to his boyfriend. 

“I mean it! Why do you think I started singing  _ ‘Paper Rings’ _ to you? I don’t  _ need  _ anything extravagant or over the top, I just need you, Alex.” Reggie pressed a small kiss to his lips. “Just so you know, I think I’ve fallen in love with you too.” As the words come out of his mouth, it’s quickly swallowed into Alex’s mouth. Alex presses into him, a hard but loving kiss. Reggie hummed into it slightly, pressing back into him. 

In the back of his mind, Reggie really thinks this is going to be his best birthday yet, if this however-long-its-been is anything to go by, but for the time being, he would focus on his boyfriend, kissing him breathless and then some. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we conclude my little story <3 I hope you guys enjoyed it! I may make this into a collection and include random little oneshots set within this story as well, but who's to say? 
> 
> Find me on twitter and tumblr at prettyghostboys!! I'd love to have more JaTP friends :3


End file.
